Tricky Transformation
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: As he watches the Dursleys' garden in turn with the other Order members, Severus makes a grave mistake while transforming back from his Animagus form. AU after fifth year, partly OOC, mentioning abuse!Dursleys, de-aging fic, child fic, sick!Severus/Harry
1. Chapter 1

**Tricky Transformation**

**Chapter 1**

Harry dragged himself out into the garden, knowing he had to get on with his chores, even if he didn't feel overly well after working in the pouring rain for the last few days. '_At least the rain has stopped_,' he mused as he set to work, trying to ignore the pain in his throat and the dull ache behind his temples.

Hearing a strange rustling in the shrubbery right behind the garage, he turned his head, only to suddenly hear a voice in his mind.

'Potter, can you see me?'

'_Oh no! I must have quite a fever if it comes to hearing voices_,' Harry thought in annoyance, before he became even more upset as he realised to whom the voice belonged. '_That was Snape's voice_.'

'Now, you dunderhead, could you perhaps look in my direction?' the voice queried in a slightly impatient tone, causing Harry to shiver instinctively.

He slowly walked over to the bushes but couldn't see anything. 'Who are you?' he thought back to the voice, curiously looking around.

'I don't deem you capable of mind thinking, so you'll have to speak aloud. You must look down to see me,' the voice spoke up again.

Following the advice, Harry suddenly looked straight into two obsidian eyes, not even a metre above the ground.

"What are you doing there?" he asked, noticing astonished how hoarse his voice sounded.

'Look at me,' the voice demanded, causing Harry to once more look into the dark eyes behind the bush. Suddenly, images began to play in front of Harry's mind.

_Professor Snape came out of Mrs. Figg's house, heading to the Dursley residence. He exchanged a few words with Remus Lupin, who appeared from behind the garage as Snape showed up._  
"_Thank you, Severus, for being on time. It's no fun in this ever-lasting rain," Lupin said, before he left the garden.  
Snape transformed into a garden snake, curling up under one of the bushes, preparing himself to spend the night watching the Dursley residence. Thinking of Harry Potter, his mind slowly drifted off to the memory Harry had watched in his Pensieve during the last school year. 'I have to transform back,' Snape suddenly thought, realising the figures were becoming overly livid in his imagination while being in his snake form. 'Ah, I wish these things had never happened. I wish I still was a small child like I was when my mother was still alive,' was his last thought, before he transformed back into his human form.  
Only seconds later, he found himself in his two-year old body, completely naked, lying on a bunch of much too large clothes on the ground._

With that the memory ended, and Harry found himself back in front of the bush, looking into the small face.

"You're Professor Snape, you're two years old, and you have all your memories of being older. Did I get that right?" he queried in disbelief.

'Exactly.'

"Mum! Potter is just standing there looking around instead of doing his chores," Dudley's whiny voice suddenly penetrated his ears.

"Oh sh... Sorry, Professor, I'll have to continue for the moment. Tell me what to do, and I'll do what I can as soon as possible," Harry whispered hurriedly, before he rushed back to where he had abandoned his work earlier.

'Can you take me into the house and dry me up when you're finished?'

Suddenly, Petunia stepped out the back door. "We're going shopping. I expect all of your chores to be finished when we'll be back in the evening. We'll probably meet Vernon in town and go out for dinner."

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry replied, sighing in relief as he heard the front door close, knowing his aunt and cousin had left for the day. He hurried back to the bush, looking for the small boy.

"I'm sorry, sir. You can come out of there now."

The small boy hesitantly toddled over to Harry, looking up to him with a frightened expression, his large robes somehow draped over his small body.

"Well, let's get into the house first," Harry decided. "Can you climb up the stairs, or should I carry you?"

'I'm not a baby,' the boy replied, climbing up the stairs after Harry.

Harry led the child into his room. "You're completely wet, aren't you? Let me get a towel," he said, turning back towards the door.

'Can you manage a drying spell?'

"Yes, but I can't use my wand, sir."

'You needn't call me 'sir'; I'm a two-year-old. You can use my wand. It's in my robe pocket.'

Harry searched for the professor's wand, hesitantly taking it into his hand. "Are you sure I can use it? Will your older self approve of this?"

'Of course, now, get on with it, dunderhead. I'm cold. It's bad enough that you seem to have a cold; I don't want to get sick on top of everything.'

Harry waved the professor's wand at the child, casting a drying charm, before he pointed the wand at a tissue on his night table, transfiguring it into a nappy.

"I'm going to pick you up and place you on my bed to get you dressed," he informed the child, struggling to fix the nappy around the little bum. Once more pointing the wand at his night table, he transfigured the remaining tissues into a green T-shirt, black trousers, and green socks, in which he dressed the small boy.

'Thank you for your choice of colour,' the child thought to him as his eyes already drooped and his breathing slowly evened out.

'_Very well_,' Harry mused. '_I have my most hated teacher here as a two-year-old with his older self's mind. What am I going to do? The Dursleys can't see him. I have to leave and either take him to Hogwarts or at least to Diagon Alley. If Hedwig was here, I could send her to Madam Pomfrey or Professor McGonagall. Either of them would probably be able to help him and turn him back to his usual self_, _but since I left Hedwig with Ron over the summer, we'll have to think of something else_.'

Somehow feeling worse by the hour, Harry decided to cover the child with the Invisibility Cloak and take a nap, knowing his relatives would come home too late to check if he had finished all of his chores in the garden. '_We'll leave early in the morning, anyway_,' he mused as he drifted off to sleep.

Harry woke up as the child next to him began to wail. '_Oh no_!' he groaned inwardly, quickly reaching for the professor's wand, which he had placed under his pillow earlier. Hurriedly throwing a Silencing charm around the two of them, Harry finally turned to the child.

"Severus, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

"I hungy," the child whispered back.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, but I don't have anything to eat here," Harry said regrettably, glancing at his alarm clock. It was three o'clock in the morning. "Wait, it's three o'clock, and my relatives should be fast asleep. I'll try to nick something for you from the kitchen. Stay under the Invisibility Cloak, please."

Harry scrambled out of bed, taking the professor's wand with him as he slowly descended the stairs. Two minutes later, he returned with a banana and an apple in his hands and nearly fell down the stairs when his uncle cornered him just as he returned to his room.

"What do you think you're doing, boy?" the man shouted. "Stealing from the kitchen? Now, let me tell you something. Out of the goodness of our hearts we took you in, we're clothing and feeding you, and you ungrateful freak go and steal from our kitchen?" Pushing Harry further into the room, he waved his belt around, hitting the boy in the back full force.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Vernon, I won't do it again," Harry croaked, noticing horrified that his voice was on the verge of failing completely.

"Tell the chief freak, Dumbeedown or what was it, to take you away from here as soon as possible!" With that, Dursley retreated from the room, shutting all the locks outside the door.

"Well, that went well," Harry mused aloud, knowing he was back under the Silencing Charm. "Here, Severus, that's all I could nick. Do you want a banana?"

'Yes please.' The child was back to mind thinking. 'What was that?'

"That was my uncle," Harry whispered, letting out a few harsh coughs as he gently peeled the banana and held it out for the child to take a bite. "I suggest we leave tomorrow morning. We can take the Knight Bus to Hogwarts, or what do you think we should do?"

'Unfortunately, no one is at Hogwarts at the moment, who might be able to help me,' Severus thought to Harry. 'Mr. Filch and Hagrid are the only ones remaining in the castle. Professor McGonagall is still at St. Mungo's, Professor Dumbledore is working at the Ministry for a while, and Madam Pomfrey is on holidays. She might be willing to come back for a few minutes, but I don't know if she'll be able to brew an aging potion for me, and even if she was able, it would take several weeks. Perhaps Professors McGonagall or Dumbledore will be able to transform me back.'

"Very well, let's go to Hogwarts tomorrow morning," Harry decided, suddenly noticing a strange smell coming from the tiny figure next to him. "Oh, I think I'll have to change your nappy, before we can go back to sleep."

'I'm sorry,' the boy replied.

'_This must be so embarrassing and absolute horrible for him_,' Harry mused as he whispered, "Don't worry; that's no problem at all. I'm glad to have your wand though; I don't know what we'd do without it." He pointed the professor's wand at a tissue, glad he had been alert enough to bring a new package from the kitchen earlier, transfiguring it to a nappy. '_Professor McGonagall would be proud of me, considering all the Transfigurations I managed to do today_.'

He gently changed the boy's nappy, noticing that Severus averted his eyes to the bed cover, blushing deeply as Harry took the dirty nappy off. Harry banished the old one with the teacher's wand and once more struggled with the new nappy, noticing in surprise that the child's skin felt cold to the touch.

"Severus, are you feeling warm enough? Do you need warmer clothing?" he asked in concern, causing the child to frown.

'I'm fine, but your hands feel very hot. You probably have a fever.'

"Ah, all right then, let's go back to sleep," Harry replied, thinking the boy was right. "I'm sorry, but I have to drape the Invisibility Cloak over you," he apologized as he tucked the child in again. "You heard my uncle. He wouldn't take it well to have another wizard under his roof."

_

* * *

tbc... (if you want me to)...  
_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	2. Chapter 2

**Tricky ****Transformation**** – Chapter 2**

In the morning, Harry woke up to Petunia opening the locks on his door. "Get up, make breakfast," she ordered him, causing Harry to scramble out of bed. Seeing the smaller boy was still peacefully asleep, he waved the wand over him, making sure he couldn't fall off the bed and couldn't get out of the room, before he hurried to make breakfast.

"I'll leave in an hour," he whispered to his aunt as the Dursleys began to eat. "May I have a slice of bread before I go?"

Petunia motioned him to help himself, and Harry buttered a small piece of toast, taking it with him to his room, glad he had something to feed to the child. He gently changed the boy's nappy, causing Severus to wake up at the cold sensation, and dressed him in a dark green jumpsuit and soft white shoes.

"Shall we take the Knight Bus to Hogwarts?" he asked the boy, who seemed very pensive.

'Are you feeling well enough to leave? You look worse for wear.'

"If my relatives notice I'm sick, they'll lock us in again, so it'll be better to leave before they notice," Harry replied hoarsely. "Should we go to Diagaon Alley first, so I can go to Gringotts and get some money to buy a few items we need for you?"

'You're in no condition to run around Diagon Alley. Let's go to Hogwarts. We can stay in my quarters, and the house-elves will bring us everything we need.'

"All right. Now, I'm going to take you under the Invisibility Cloak and carry you out of the house," Harry informed the boy and gently picked him up, making sure the cloak covered every little bit of him. '_Thank God one can breathe under the cloak_,' he mused as he used the professor's wand to shrink his trunk, put it in one of his jeans pockets, and fetched his most important belongings from under the loose floor board, pocketing them as well. Finally, he dragged himself down the stairs, carefully carrying the two-year-old on his arm.

A few metres away from the house, the two-year-old began to wriggle. 'You know I'm two, and I should be able to walk. Just let me down,' he demanded.

"Oh right," Harry gasped, trying to catch his breath. "You won't be able to hide under the Invisibility Cloak anymore though, because it's much too big for you. If we go on for a few minutes, there will be a park, and as soon as we reach that, I'm going to call the Knight Bus."

The child seemed to agree, and Harry looked around, confirming no one was on the street at the moment, before he quickly took the cloak off the boy and put him down onto the ground.

Severus hesitantly slipped his small hand into Harry's larger one, and toddled along the street next to his student.

"Thank God your wand works so well for me," Harry croaked as he raised the professor's wand to call the Knight Bus that appeared mere seconds later.

'Don't get used to it,' Severus thought to him, smirking, as they boarded the bus.

"Do you want hot chocolate?" Harry asked the boy, chuckling when the two-year-old let out an excited squeal. Harry paid for the ride and the chocolate, instructing Tom, "To Hogwarts please."

'Don't offer me such things, you imbecile,' Severus thought to him as he sat on Harry's lap, sipping his chocolate in obvious pleasure.

"Are you having an internal dispute between you and your older self's mind?" Harry whispered, chuckling at the boy's problem.

At this time in the morning, many people were on the bus, and it took nearly an hour, before the bus made a huge jump, arriving on the main street in Hogsmeade.

"To Hogsmeade and Hogwarts get off here; next stop St. Mungo's," Tom called out, and Harry and Severus hurriedly got off the bus.

'_A little bit nearer to the gate would have been nice_,' Harry mused as he slowly dragged himself up to the castle, glad the small boy wasn't able to walk in the speed of his older self.

Half way up the road towards the castle, the child stood in front of him, raising both arms. "Up!" he demanded, throwing Harry a pleading look.

Harry was torn between chuckling at the thought that the professor's two-year-old mind had taken over again and groaning as he could hardly keep himself upright. Nevertheless, he gently picked the small boy up and carried him into the castle.

"Severus, I don't know where the entrance to your quarters is. Can you tell me the way please?" he whispered, noticing the child was just about to drift off to sleep.

'Don't you know where the teachers' quarters are?' Severus queried in disbelief, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Harry replied, shivering.

'You can let me down now. I'm sorry for letting myself being carried.' As soon as Harry put him on the floor, the small boy ran ahead, leading Harry to a wing situated somewhere between the hospital wing and the Headmaster's office.

'_I never knew the entrance to the teachers' quarters is here_,' Harry mused as he curiously followed the child through the empty corridors.

Severus stopped in front of a portrait of Salazar Slytherin.

"What in the world happened to you?" Salazar queried, throwing the kid an assessing look.

"Tafomation accent," Severus grumbled, before he turned to Harry. 'Can you tell him 'Transformation accident' please?'

Harry chuckled and explained to the Founder what had happened to the professor.

"Well, congratulations to your de-aging, Severus," Salazar chuckled. "Do you remember your password?"

"Lily," the professor said in his high, childish voice, and the door opened, revealing the view into a living room built around a huge fireplace.

Severus led Harry through the living room into what seemed to be his bedroom. 'I believe we're both in dire need of a nap,' he thought to Harry, yawning. 'Lie down and I go and fetch you a Pepperup potion.'

Feeling bad enough to willingly comply, Harry hesitantly lay down on the teacher's black bed covers, closing his eyes in relief. Only an instant later, he felt something icy on his cheek, noticing the kid was trying to feel his forehead.

Harry sat up, gratefully taking the phial from the small boy. "Thank you, Severus," he whispered and gulped down the icy-cold liquid, throwing the child a questioning look as he handed him another phial.

'A fever reducer,' the boy informed him. 'Now lie down and let's take a nap. Afterwards, you can call Asclepius, Madam Pomfrey's house-elf, and can ask him if he can call her, so she can help both of us.'

"All right," Harry agreed. Seeing Severus stood in front of the bed raising both arms to be picked up, he gently pulled the child up onto the bed and lay down, drifting off to sleep with the small boy in his arms.

HP

Harry woke up to Severus' wailing. He lazily cracked an eye open, looking at the child in his arm. "Are you hungry?"

The boy miserably shook his head, and the edges of his mouth pulled further downwards.

Harry sighed, noticing he felt absolutely horrible. "Do I need to change your nappy?" he queried, causing the boy to hesitantly nod and quickly avert his eyes.

"All right then," Harry croaked. He pulled the teacher's wand to conjure a changing table for the child; however, realising he didn't have the energy and feeling too dizzy to do so, he merely pointed the wand at a tissue, transfiguring it into a nappy.

As before, the child blushed deeply and turned his eyes to the ceiling as Harry changed his nappy. "It's all right; there is no need to be embarrassed; for being stuck in a two-year-old body, you're holding up very well," Harry whispered. "Now, are you hungry?"

'Let me down; I'll be back in a minute.'

'_Ah, his older self's mind is taking over now that we're through with the embarrassing part_,' Harry thought in amusement as he put the child on the floor and lay down in exhaustion, gratefully closing his eyes to crave the quiet before he'd have to look after the child again.

'Don't go back to sleep yet,' he heard, feeling something icy-cold poking his face.

Lazily opening his eyes, he saw the boy was trying to stick a thermometer into his mouth. 'Open up,' he felt himself being instructed and, inwardly groaning, closed his lips around the cold stick. While he was waiting for the instrument to finish its reading, Harry tried to relax but felt the boy trying to climb up on the bed and according to his angry wail apparently failing miserably. Inwardly sighing, he gently extended his arms, pulling the child up.

'I don't know what time it is, but I definitely have to make Severus eat something, and then I need to conjure a few toys for him,' Harry mused, before he was pulled out of his thoughts when the thermometer beeped and Severus snatched it out of his mouth.

'You have a high fever. Call Asclepius and ask him to inform Madam Pomfrey she's needed here.'

Harry sat up, shivering violently. "Asclepius," he whispered.

Instantly, an elf that was very tall in comparison to Dobby appeared, throwing him a questioning look. "Master called for Asclepius?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but Professor Snape accidentally de-aged himself, and we urgently need Madam Pomfrey to come and try to help him," Harry explained hoarsely.

"And you seem to be very ill and need Mistress Poppy as well," the elf added, nodding knowingly. "Unfortunately, Mistress Poppy is in Germany for a relative's wedding, and I can't reach her abroad. She'll be back in two days' time, and then I'll send her here immediately. If you need any potions from the hospital wing, you can call me at any time and I'll get them for you."

Severus lightly shook his head, and Harry whispered, "Not at the moment, but thank you very much."

With that, the elf bowed lightly and popped away. "He speaks absolutely proper English, not like all the other elves," Harry thought aloud, looking at the spot where Asclepius had stood earlier in awe. "Shall I call Dobby and ask him to see if Dumbledore or McGonagall are back already?"

Severus nodded, and Harry spoke with Dobby, who promised to send both teachers as soon as they returned to the castle. "Thank you, Dobby," Harry replied, throwing the small elf a grateful look, before he turned back to the boy.

"Well, Severus, let me conjure a few toys for you, so we can play something." Seeing the child's obsidian eyes twinkle happily, he dragged himself out of bed, placing the boy on the floor next to him.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your many kind comments. I appreciate them very much! Just so you know, I don't need advice on small kids though. I have two of them myself._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	3. Chapter 3

**Tricky ****Transformation**** – Chapter 3**

Harry followed the child out of his bedroom, observing in amusement how the boy got up to his tiptoes to reach for the handle of a door at the other side of the corridor leading to the living room. '_What is he up to now?_' he mused as he dragged himself over, only to stop dead in his tracks. '_This must be his private potions lab_,' he realised, looking around the room in amazement. It was much larger than he had assumed with a huge working table in the middle and white shelves filled with phials covering every inch of the white walls.

'Don't stand there. Help me, you dunderhead,' the boy instructed him, causing Harry to throw him a questioning look. 'Since the Pepperup potion didn't work, you obviously don't have a cold. Let's try the flu potion this time. Fetch me one of the orange phials from the fifth shelf from the top of this shelf.' He pointed to the shelf he was standing at, snatching a light green phial from the next shelf at the same time.

Harry did as he was told and obediently downed both potions, feeling his body cool down a little. "Thank you," he whispered, gratefully.

'You're welcome. Go back to bed,' the child replied.

"No, let's sit down somewhere, and I'll call Dobby, so he can bring something to eat for you," Harry replied firmly, following his de-aged professor out into a tiny kitchen.

'You don't have to call Dobby. Just knock my wand against the table, and a meal will appear,' Severus instructed him.

"All right," Harry replied, pulling a tissue out of his jeans pocket, transfiguring it into a high chair, before he gently eased the child into the chair.

"Fank you," the child replied happily, banging his hands on the table in anticipation.

'_Oh no, go back to your older self's mind, so you won't make my headache even worse_,' Harry groaned inwardly, tapping the teacher's wand against the table.

Instantly, dinner appeared on the table. Not feeling hungry in the least, Harry took the seat next to Severus and gently filled some chicken, a small potato, a spoonful of rice, and two spoonfuls of carrots and green peas on the child's plate, cutting the food into small pieces for him. Finally, he transfigured a fork into a children's fork, pressing it into the boy's small hand.

"I trust you can already feed yourself?" he queried as he lifted his glass, greedily drinking his pumpkin juice.

"Yef, but no veggy!" the small boy replied whiningly, kicking the peas with his fork, causing them to fly all over the place.

"Oh no, Severus, stop it immediately," Harry groaned, wondering if the child's younger mind was taking over as he was getting tired.

Apparently, his assumption was correct, since the boy continued making a mess of his food.

"Well, you're obviously still too small to feed yourself," Harry croaked. He took the fork off the boy and carefully began to feed him.

To his relief, Severus willingly ate his chicken and rice without making a fuss. However, he refused to take the potato, peas, and carrots.

"No wike!" he shouted, fiercely pressing his mouth shut.

"No Severus, you may decide on one thing, which you don't like, and you may leave it over, but you can't refuse to eat three different kinds of food," Harry admonished him firmly, wishing his voice didn't sound so hoarse.

The small boy threw him an assessing look, obviously sensing he meant what he said, and hesitantly munched the small pieces of potato and carrot Harry spooned into his mouth.

'_Well, that's what I thought_,' Harry mused, glancing at all the peas that were shattered around the room. '_Apparently, he doesn't like peas_.'

Noticing the small boy was nearly falling asleep in the remaining of his meal, he gently eased him out of his chair and carried him into the bedroom. "Let me quickly give you a bath, and then we'll go to bed," he whispered to the child as he gently undressed him.

Feeling too miserable to do any more magic, Harry called Dobby. "I'm sorry to bother you, Dobby, but could you please provide me with a few clothes for a two-year-old as well as nappies and pyjamas?"

"Of course, Master Harry, Dobby wills sees to it immediately," the small elf replied in utmost pleasure, jumping up and down in excitement. "Shalls Dobby prepares a bath for little Master Severus?"

"Yes please," Harry replied, feeling very relieved at the elf's kind assistance. An instant later, Harry found a changing table, equipped with everything he would need for the toddler, right next to the bed. A crib was placed on the other side of the bed.

'_Thank God_,' Harry mused as he carried Severus into the bathroom, carefully feeling if the water had the right temperature. '_That seems awfully cold, but probably it's only because of the warmth of my skin_,' he thought, shivering at the cold touch. Sighing, he conjured a bath thermometer to confirm the water was adequate for the small boy, before he gently eased him into the tub, causing Severus to squeal with joy.

Suddenly, the child's expression turned sad, and he voiced, "Dago?" throwing Harry a pleading look.

"A dragon to play with?" Harry tried to guess, making the child excitedly nod his head. '_So much about not doing any more magic tonight_,' Harry mused as he waved the professor's wand, conjuring a few small dragons for the boy to play in the water.

"Fank you," Severus squealed in delight, excitedly splashing the water all over the room, causing Harry to get completely drenched before he could even open his mouth to stop the child.

'Well, let's get over with it quickly,' he decided and hurried to gently wash the boy's hair and sponge him down, while Severus happily played with his dragons. "All right, say 'Good night' to your dragons; it's time to go to bed," he finally told the child, before he carefully lifted him out of the tab, gently wrapping him in a dark green towel to carry him back into the bedroom.

Severus once more squealed happily as he noticed the cover on his changing table held small green dragons as well. However, when Harry gently coaxed his little fingers away from the dragons so he could dress him, the edges of his mouth slowly pulled downwards. "Dagy?" he queried, throwing Harry a sad look.

"Wait a moment; let me just fix this nappy first," Harry croaked. '_I'm freezing enough in my wet clothes thanks to you; I don't need another kind of liquid on my clothes_,' he mused as he hurriedly closed the nappy, realising he was slowly getting better at dressing the kid.

Pulling another nappy out of the shelf of the changing table's side, he pointed the wand at it, transfiguring it into a stuffed green dragon, which he held out to the child. "Look into his eyes and think of a colour to change his colour," he instructed the boy, who excitedly complied, causing the dragon to roar and change his colour to blue.

Severus repeated the procedure until the dragon was back to green, before he threw Harry a happy look, whispering, "Fank you. Dagy... Dagy... Dagy."

"You're welcome, sweetie," Harry whispered back, for once forgetting who this cute child actually was. He carefully scooped the boy up into his arms and carried him over into the crib, gently tucking him in, observing as the boy safely tucked his dragon under his left arm, while his right thumb slowly made his way into his mouth as he drifted off to sleep.

'_Thank God_,' Harry mused as he made two steps backwards, letting himself sink onto the professor's bed in absolute exhaustion. '_I have to go and clean the living room and the bathroom_,' he remembered but felt too ill to drag himself out of the bed again. Within seconds, he drifted off to fever induced dreams.

HP

'Wave my wand and make these bars go away!' an angry voice hissed into his mind, causing Harry to wake up. Everything seemed strangely foggy, and it took him a few moments to grasp where he was and what happened.

He struggled to sit up, instinctively obeying to the professor's voice in his mind. Only barely, he registered the two-year-old climb out of his bed as soon as the bars vanished.

'Lie back down and open your mouth,' the boy instructed him, obviously trying to be gentle as he shoved the thermometer into his face.

"I know I have a fever, so stop fussing," Harry complained as he closed his lips around the annoying stick, shivering violently at the cold touch.

'Shut up and wait; I'll get you a potion,' Severus replied, toddling out of the room.

'_What am I going to do? I can't keep him in bed the whole day, but I can't let him run around on his own. I have to play with him_,' Harry mused, barely noticing that Severus returned with two phials, carefully placing them on the night table.

The child carefully took the thermometer back, letting out a gasp. 'Over forty degrees, that's very high. Now, try to sit up and take the fever reducer first.' Harry obeyed, and the boy continued, 'Now tell me what exactly is wrong. Does your chest hurt?'

"Yes, my chest, throat, head, and speaking and breathing... Everything hurts," Harry mumbled, feeling worse than he had ever felt before.

'All right. I'm afraid you caught pneumonia, considering the flu potion didn't work. Here, drink this. I hope it'll help.' The boy handed Harry a phial, and Harry greedily drank the cold liquid, noticing the potion take effect instantly.

"Oh yes, that's much better, thank you," he said softly, sighing in relief as the pain receded and the dizziness passed.

'Thank God; if you feel well enough to get up, you have to come with me to get some more phials of it; I can hardly reach the shelf,' Severus replied. 'You need to take both potions every four hours.'

"All right," Harry replied, scrambling out of the bed. He followed the boy into his private lab, collecting a few potions to place them onto his night table. Seeing on the alarm clock that it was already morning, he gently scooped the small boy up and placed him on the changing table, ignoring the child's attempt to throw him a menacing glare.

"You don't want to run around in your dirty nappies and pyjamas now, do you?" he queried, before he changed the nappy as quickly as possible, trying to pull the child into a discussion about Quidditch to distract him from getting embarrassed. Skimming the clothes on the shelf, Harry decided on a white T-shirt with a dark green jumpsuit, trying hard to keep himself from chuckling at the sight of the clothes in Gryffindor colours.

Severus seemed to relax at his choice of clothes and remained quiet until Harry put him back onto the floor.

'Thank you,' he mind thought to Harry. 'Go back to bed.'

"No," Harry replied firmly, feeling much better due to the effects of the potion. "We're going to have breakfast, and then we'll ask Dobby to bring us a few toys. Do you want to take your Dagy with you?"

The two-year-old glared at him, firmly shaking his head, causing Harry to chuckle as he followed the little one into the kitchen. He gently buttered a toast for the child, knowing the boy would be able to eat it on his own. '_When he gets tired, his two-year-old mind seems to take over, but when he's well rested, he has his older self's mind_,' he mused. '_That's really interesting, but what am I going to do with him while I have to deal with his older self's mind?_'

'Don't dream; eat!' Severus ordered him.

"No, thank you," Harry replied, contentedly craving the warmth of the mug of tea he held in his hands.

'You can either begin eating right now, or I'm going to force-feed you,' Severus threatened, causing Harry to chuckle as he looked at the upset two-year-old.

"Well, feel free to try," he replied, raising an eyebrow at the child.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your many kind comments. I appreciate them very much!  
_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	4. Chapter 4

**Tricky ****Transformation**** – Chapter 4**

Severus reached out for Harry's fork in order to make him eat something, but all of a sudden, his hand stopped midway, and the boy began to cry.

"Severus, what's wrong?" Harry asked in concern.

"Hawts," the child wailed, pressing a small hand against his temples.

"Oh no; don't tell me you caught my cold," Harry said, groaning as he gently took the boy out of the child seat and scooped him into his arms. "Now tell me exactly what hurts. Do you have a headache?"

"Ye," the boy replied miserably, tugging his ear, "and my toad and ear is sowe."

'_Oh no; he definitely got my cold_,' Harry thought, terrified, '_and I probably can't give a two-year-old normal potions_. _Plus Snape is back to his two-year-old mind, so I can't ask him. I can't even feel if he is running a fever because my skin is warmer than his. How in the world am I supposed to take a temperature with such a small child? Probably in his bum, but his older self would never forgive me if I did that_.' Gently cuddling the child close and trying not to panic in front of the toddler, Harry decided to call Asclepius, who appeared in the blink of an eye.

"Thank you for coming so quickly," Harry croaked in relief. "We have a problem. Severus seems to have caught the cold from me. Can you help me get a potion for him? I don't know how bad it is and what to give him, but he seems to feel unwell and is crying, and..."

"Calm down first, Master Harry. I can help you and little Master Severus," Asclepius ended Harry's tirade.

Feeling very much comforted by the elf's reassuring words, Harry relaxed a little as he continued to gently cuddle Severus.

"You can't give a two-year-old any normal potion; you need a potion for a toddler or baby," Asclepius continued thoughtfully, waving his hand over Severus and finally over Harry to cast diagnostic spells. "Master Severus only has a little cold. I will lace some pumpkin juice with a sip of Pepperup potion, and he'll probably be fine. However, you have pneumonia and need to stay in bed. Take little Master Severus with you and lie down. I will bring the potion for him, and then you will both take a nice long sleep to recover." With that the elf popped away.

"He will bring you a potion to make you all better in a moment," Harry said softly, soothingly rubbing circles into the boy's back as he carried him into the bedroom, sighing in relief as he noticed that the child relaxed in his arms.

"Here, Master Harry," Asclepius said as he popped up with a small cup in his hands. "Only let him take small sips, and when he finishes the juice, you'll take this for yourself. It'll make you feel a bit better and help you rest for a while." He placed a small phial with a light yellow liquid on the night table. "Call me again as soon as you wake up, so I can check on both of you again."

"I will. Thank you so much, Asclepius," Harry croaked, throwing the small elf a grateful look as he took the cup from him and placed it on the side table for a moment. Leaning against the head of the bed, he made Severus sit comfortably on his lap and slowly made him sip the juice, noticing that the small boy's eyes drooped as he finished the liquid. "You did that very well, Severus; you're a very good boy, and the juice will make you feel much better. Now let's take a small nap," he told the child as he carefully moved him to lie down beside him.

"Dagy?" Severus mumbled tiredly.

"Oh right, sorry," Harry replied, waving the professor's wand at the small bed to summon the stuffed animal. He watched in amazement as Severus cuddled the green dragon close, while a small thumb wandered into his mouth and his breathing evened out as soon as he closed his eyes.

'_Thank God at least the house-elves are here_,' Harry mused as he took his potion and lay down, drifting off to sleep before his head even hit the pillow.

HP

Luckily, the sip of potion he had taken with his juice made Severus sleep calmly for the next few hours; however, unfortunately, Harry's sleep was disturbed by fevered nightmares.

_Harry walked out of the professor's bedroom, wondering where Severus could have gone. He glanced into the bathroom, into the small kitchen, into the living room and finally into his private lab. However, by the time he entered the lab, he couldn't fight the dizziness anymore and stumbled against the shelf that was right next to the door, causing the whole shelf to topple over. In absolute horror Harry watched as hundreds of phials filled with colourful potions shattered on the floor. _

_Harry barely noticed that he was hit by several potions at once and that his skin was cut by sharp pieces of glass. However, his foggy mind suddenly registered a menacing voice shouting, "Potter! What do you think you're doing in my private laboratory? Look at the mess you made! How dare you? It will take me weeks to brew all of these potions again. I will have you expelled for this!"_

_There he was. The professor was back to his own age, standing in front of him and breathing fire straight into his face._

_Harry wanted to reply, he wanted to explain what had happened, that he was only there to help the de-aged professor, but his voice failed completely. He could only let out a small croak, which soon turned into a coughing fit._

Harry jerked awake by his own coughing, realising in utmost relief that he was still in the Potions Master's bed with the small professor cuddled against his side, peacefully asleep. '_Thank God it only was a dream_,' he thought, feeling absolutely miserable. He used his sleeve to wipe beads of sweat from his forehead, before he carefully brought himself into a half sitting position and drank some water, remembering that Snape had told him several times he had to drink as much as possible.

Just when he was about to drift back to sleep, the Potions Master's thoughts penetrated his foggy mind. 'Potter, are you all right?'

'_His older self's mind his back_,' Harry noticed, feeling extremely relieved at the thought. "How are you feeling?" he croaked, turning onto his side to face the child.

"Much better, fank you," Snape replied in his childish voice, before he returned to mind thinking. 'Thank you for calling Asclepius. That was a wise decision. But you look worse for the wear. You need your next dose of potions. Let me first take your temperature though.' He tried to scramble out of the bed to fetch the thermometer, when Harry gently held him back.

"No, Severus; I had to promise Asclepius to call him as soon as we were awake. He wanted to check on both of us."

"I'm fine," Severus replied, and the concern that had been displayed on his small face was replaced by a pout, causing Harry to smirk.

"Well, I want him to check on you nevertheless," Harry said firmly and called the elf.

Asclepius checked on them and mixed another small cup of pumpkin juice for Severus, before he instructed the boy to make Harry drink his potions when he drank his juice. "I'll ask the kitchen elves to make soup for you. It will appear in front of you in two minutes. Eat your soup and go back to bed. Then you must stay in bed for the rest of the day and sleep," he instructed both wizards. "Tomorrow morning, I should be able to contact Mistress Poppy, and I'll ask her to come to check on you as soon as possible."

As soon as the elf disappeared, Severus began to wail, and Harry threw him a surprised look. '_Why is he back to his two-year-old mind now?_' he wondered, when a faint smell gave him the answer.

"Shall we change your nappy?" he asked softly, causing the boy to throw him a relieved glance and nod.

"Can you tell me something about the difference between magical and non magical potions ingredients?" Harry asked casually in an attempt to divert the child's attention from what was happening at his bottom. Normally, he tried to talk about random things when he was changing the boy's nappy, but he could hardly speak without ending up in a coughing fit.

'Potter, I have no idea if Dumbledore will insist that you return to your so-called family when he comes back, but in case he allows you to remain at Hogwarts, I'm going to teach you Remedial Potions. Your mother was extremely adept at Potions, so with a little effort you should be able to do better than you did so far.'

"All right," Harry agreed absently as he pulled up the boy's jumpsuit. "There you are. Now let me feed you your soup."

Apparently not wanting to make a mess in his bed, Severus grudgingly allowed Harry to feed him, before he insisted Harry had to eat some soup as well. Feeling very grateful that Severus had been extremely cooperative in spite of having his older mind, Harry complied and forced a few spoonfuls down his throat, before he reached for Severus' cup and helped the child sip the juice.

During the night, Harry had to get up twice to change Severus' nappy. Both times, he pondered if he should call Asclepius, but Severus told him he was fine, and knowing that the boy's two-year-old mind wouldn't lie, Harry deemed it unnecessary and preferred to return to bed as soon as possible.

HP

In the morning, Harry had just cleaned the child up and dressed him, when Madam Pomfrey entered the bedroom, smiling at the sight in front of her. Having his back towards the door, Harry noticed in surprise that Severus suddenly stiffed under his touch. Only when the Mediwitch said, "Good morning, Harry and Severus; oh, let me look at you; you're such a sweetie," he realised that they weren't alone anymore.

"Good morning, Madam Pomfrey," he croaked, feeling extremely relieved at the sight of the Healer.

"Asclepius told me what happened," Pomfrey explained, gently taking the now completely dressed Severus from Harry. "Lie down on the bed so I can check on you," she told Harry as she made Severus sit on the edge of the bed and cast a few spells at the child.

"Severus is fine," she said after thoroughly checking on him and turned to Harry, sighing as she finally put her wand away. "You probably had a cold, but it turned into pneumonia. Well, since the two of you aren't able to look after each other, I'm going to take both of you with me to the hospital wing."

"No!" Harry and Severus replied simultaneously, terrified expressions clouding their faces.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your many kind comments, and sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. Well, poor Sevvie is not out of the woods yet..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	5. Chapter 5

**Tricky ****Transformation**** – Chapter 5**

Severus turned to Harry, thinking urgently, 'Potter, tell her we're well able to look after each other and ask her to contact Professors McGonagall or Dumbledore.'

Harry relayed to the Mediwitch what the professor had told him, causing Pomfrey to frown. "Unfortunately, Professor McGonagall is still at St. Mungo's, and Professor Dumbledore is on an errand for the Ministry. I believe that he is abroad, but I'll try to contact him. Just don't get your hopes up too much. Harry, are you sure you're comfortable with the solution of staying here as well?"

"Yes," Harry replied automatically.

"Very well then; I have to insist that you stay in bed though, and I will come to check on you every evening around dinnertime. If you need me, you can call Asclepius; he'll be able to fetch me at any time."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Harry said and lay down, only to sit up again as soon as Pomfrey had left the room.

'Stay put and sleep,' Severus said instantly, jumping down from the bed. 'I'll call Dobby and ask him for something to read. I'll be in the living room in case you need me.'

"All right, thank you," Harry replied gratefully. "Wake me up if you need me."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

During the next few days, Harry slept most of the day, while Severus spent the time sitting on the sofa in the living room reading. Severus tried to look after Harry, checked his temperature, made him drink his potions and water and tried everything he could to cool the boy down or make him feel better. However, each time he became tired, felt hungry or needed to get his nappy changed, his mind changed to his two-year-old one, so a sleepy Harry had to deal with a cranky, wailing child. Nevertheless, the two wizards got along extremely well and quickly became used to their situation.

One morning, Harry woke up feeling slightly better. '_Thank God_,' he thought. '_I really need to get up and try to play with Severus or read to him, at least when his mind is that of his younger self_.'

Seeing that Severus was still peacefully asleep, he scrambled out of bed, noticing in relief that he didn't feel dizzy anymore. He headed into the kitchen and began to make breakfast. '_I hope Severus will like it_,' he mused, jerking back startled when he heard a little wail from behind himself. The child was standing in the doorframe with his Dagy in one hand and both arms stretched up into the air to let himself being picked up.

"Oh Severus, are you awake?" he asked softly, scooping the child into his arms. "Ugh, you stink," he laughed, causing the little boy to avert his eyes in embarrassment. "Hey, sweetie, that's all right. Let's go and make you smell better, and then we're going to have breakfast, won't we?"

"Kay," Severus replied, eyeing the food on the table with interest.

"Are you tickly this morning?" Harry asked, tickling the little tyke, who was giggling and laughing by the time they reached the changing table. "Now, what are we going to do today? Shall we transfigure something into Lego blocks and build something? Or do you want me to try to transfigure the Hogwarts Express to play with? We could also go for a walk on the grounds," Harry talked to the child, while he quickly cleaned him up, choosing a dark green jumpsuit with small yellow ducks for the boy.

Severus smiled at the ducks as they let out a multiple quaking when Harry closed the buttons of the jumpsuit.

"Severus, do you like flying or playing Quidditch?" Harry asked casually as the child's face suddenly grew stern. '_He is back to his older mind,_' he realised_. 'I better distract him, so he won't feel embarrassed_.'

'You seem to be feeling better. However, you hands are still hot, and as long as you're running a fever, don't even think about flying or playing Quidditch. I've never been good at flying, and we don't have a toddler's broom anyway.'

'_Well, he's right; I'm still not in a condition to fly_,' Harry thought, suddenly feeling totally exhausted. "If we went flying, I'd take you with me on my own broom anyway, or don't you trust me to keep you safe?"

'Not as long as you're ill. Now, would you please take me down from here and sit on your bed, so I can check your temperature and make you drink your potions?'

Harry grudgingly complied, sighing in relief as he felt the potions take effect. "So is there something you want to do today?" he asked casually as they entered the kitchen together.

'You need to go back to bed. You're still sick.'

"I'm fine," Harry growled as he gently eased the child into his chair and placed a piece of toast, an egg and a pancake on the boy's plate. He cut the egg into small pieces and handed Severus a small fork. "Here you are. Do you think you can do it on your own?"

Severus nodded and devoured the pancake, reaching out for another one.

"Eat your egg with a bit of toast, and drink your milk first. Then you may have another one," Harry said in a gentle but firm voice, causing the child to pout. '_Why does he have to change to his toddler's mind at mealtimes?_' Harry thought in annoyance, unobtrusively pulling the plate with the pancakes out of the child's reach.

Severus obediently ate half of his egg and took a few sips of his milk, before he threw Harry a pleading look, asking, "Pankay?"

"All right," Harry agreed, hoping to be able to finish the meal soon, since the small piece of pancake he had eaten filled him completely and he longed to be able to rest his achy head somewhere.

HP

After his third pancake, Severus smiled contentedly. "Lub pankay," he cheered, raising both arms towards Harry to let him taken out of the child seat.

Harry complied, chuckling. "Now, what do you want to do? Shall I try to conjure a Hogwarts Express for us to play with?"

'No,' Severus' older self replied. 'With the fever you're running, you shouldn't do much magic, and I'm not a real two-year-old.' The child raised an eyebrow at Harry in a very Snape-ish manner, before he ran to the bookshelf. 'Can you give me the green book there, please? The one that's between the two black ones on the fifth shelf from the bottom.'

Harry reached for the book, handing it to the toddler. Snape happily clutched the book and toddled over to one of the comfortable looking seats in front of the fireplace. 'Don't stand there and look. Go back to bed or lie down on the sofa, but lie down and rest,' he instructed Harry, before he engrossed himself in his reading, muttering to himself from time to time about how the letters were too small.

"Severus, shall I read it to you? Eyes of a two-year-old aren't used to reading books with normal sized letters," Harry offered in a soft voice.

'Won't you mind? It's not very interesting for you though. I'm merely searching for an ingredient to use in an experimental potion. I can't remember what it was, but I know that it's mentioned in this book.'

"I don't mind. As long as I have a voice, I can read to you," Harry replied gently, holding his hand out for the book.

'Thank you,' Severus replied and toddled over to the sofa, sitting right next to Harry.

During the next two hours, Harry read the first chapters of the book to Severus. Sometimes, the teacher asked him to repeat something or corrected his pronunciation of difficult ingredients. However, after a while, Harry could hardly read a sentence anymore without having to let out a harsh cough. His headache flared, and he began to feel much worse than before. This didn't go unnoticed by Severus, and he instructed him to stop reading immediately.

A small, cold hand found its way to Harry's forehead, and he noticed the teacher think to him, 'You're burning up again. Let me fetch your potions, and then you're going to take a nap.'

"Okay," Harry agreed, feeling grateful that Severus had his older self's mind for the moment.

However, as soon as Severus climbed down from the sofa and stood on his feet, he cried out in utmost pain.

"Severus, what's wrong?" Harry asked in concern, quickly pulling the child up onto his lap.

"My nee, hawts," Severus wailed.

"Your knee?" Harry asked incredulously. "Show me exactly where it hurts." '_He didn't do anything that could have made his knee hurt_,' he mused.

Severus pointed to his left knee. "Betta now," he added in a small voice, slowly scrambling down from Harry's lap. However, as soon as he stood on his feet, he began to cry again.

"That's it," Harry decided. "I'll ask Asclepius to fetch Madam Pomfrey. All right?"

"Ye," Severus replied miserably, causing Harry to worry even more.

_

* * *

_

-------------------------------------------------

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your many kind comments!_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	6. Chapter 6

**Tricky ****Transformation**** – Chapter 6**

While they were waiting for the Healer to arrive, Harry made Severus lie down on the sofa with his head on his lap and gently caressed the boy's cheeks, surprised that Severus didn't shake his hands off. "Are you still in a lot of pain?" he asked softly.

"No, onwy if I get up," Severus replied, yawning.

Suddenly, Madam Pomfrey stepped out of the fireplace, looking at them in surprise. "What's wrong, and what are you doing out of bed, Harry?" she queried, pulling her wand.

Harry quickly explained, causing the Mediwitch to cast several diagnostic spells at Severus, before she finally took a seat and explained, "Severus caught transient synovitis of the hip." Seeing herself confronted with questioning looks, she explained, "The infection he had the other day caused a fluid collection in his hip joint. This often happens with young children. It is not bad, and it will go away by itself; however, Severus has to stay put for at least five days. He may not get up and walk at all. He might get a fever, but not necessarily. I'll prepare a mild pain relieving potion, which you may give to him, if he is in pain, which he shouldn't if he stays put on the sofa or in bed. If he gets a fever, you can lace a glass of water with one spoonful of your normal fever reducing potion and give it to him between two and four times a day, depending on how high the fever is."

"All right," Harry replied, groaning inwardly at the prospect of trying to keep Severus in bed or carrying him around all day long."

"Harry, are you sure you want to stay here and look after both of you? Shall I take both of you with me to the hospital wing?"

"You're not staying in the castle, are you?" Harry asked softly, for once feeling bad enough to consider the Mediwitch's offer.

'Nooo,' Severus screamed in his head. 'We'll manage.'

"At the moment, I'm staying at home, but I can as well return to my quarters here," Pomfrey said gently. "I really don't mind."

"No, thank you so much, but we'll manage," Harry replied in determination, glancing at Severus, who nodded eagerly.

"Very well then; now let me check on you, Harry." She quickly waved her wand in several complicated movements, before she fetched a few potions from the lab, noticing that the boy greedily gulped them down in spite of the disgusting taste. Scooping Severus up in her arms, she instructed Harry to go back to bed and placed Severus next to him on the bed. "Severus, you may not get up. If you need to go anywhere, Harry must carry you. Do you understand me?"

"Yes."

"Very well then, I'll come by again at dinnertime. If you need me, don't hesitate to call me at any time."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Harry mumbled gratefully and faintly realised that Severus cuddled close to him, yawning. '_Thank God, he's going to sleep as well_,' he mused, before he drifted off to sleep in the blink of an eye.

HP

Harry and Severus spent the rest of the day and the following day in bed sleeping and playing Wizards Chess. Severus also tried to quiz Harry about potions ingredients but noticed quickly that his student felt too sick and couldn't concentrate enough, so he postponed the subject. On the third day, however, Severus woke up very cranky and whiny.

"Hey, little one, what's wrong?" Harry croaked, noticing that he felt worse than on the day before. '_Maybe we shouldn't have played Wizards Chess, but it was so much fun, even if I kept losing all the time_,' he mused, while he gently carried Severus to the changing table.

Harry quickly exchanged the toddler's nappy and tried to dress him in a soft, yellow jump suit. However, his choice of colour apparently didn't meet the child's taste, and Severus kept trying to wriggle away from Harry's hands. Unfortunately, Harry felt so dizzy and unwell that he couldn't muster the energy to fight with the child. He tried a light blue jumpsuit and finally a green one, glad when Severus finally allowed himself to be dressed.

"You're in a bad mood today, aren't you?" he queried, wondering why the child was still whiny and his adult mind didn't take over. Giving the toddler a sharp look, he realised that his cheeks were unnaturally flushed and his eyes were slightly glazed over. "Oh no," he sighed. "Are you feeling ill, sweetie?" he asked gently.

"Ye," Severus replied miserably, and a small thumb found its way into the toddler's mouth as small tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.

"Oh well, Madam Pomfrey said you could get a fever, which is probably your problem," Harry said thoughtfully, thinking feverishly. '_I have to ask Asclepius how to take a toddler's temperature_,' he decided and called the elf.

"With such a small child you musts take it rectally," the elf informed him. "I wills show you."

Harry observed as the elf quickly revealed Severus' bottom and took the child's temperature, holding the boy, who was trying his best to wriggle away, in a firm grip. Apparently realising that he couldn't get away from the elf, Severus finally gave up and just lay there, sucking his thumb. Harry quickly fetched Dagy and handed it to the child, who immediately cuddled the toy dragon close.

"38.6 (101.5)," Asclepius announced. "I wills bring you something for his fever. You needs to take his temperature again in four hours and yours as well. If his temperature is over 38.5 degrees, you musts give the potion to him." The elf picked Severus up and laid him on the bed, and as soon as Harry lay down next to Severus, Asclepius took Harry's thermometer from the night table, coaxing it under Harry's tongue, before he popped away to fetch a potion for Severus. "Two spoonfuls," he instructed Harry as he made Severus swallow the same amount of the potion, before he handed him a small bottle with juice with a straw. "This is a nutrient potion," he whispered to Harry as he removed the beeping thermometer, instructing him to call him immediately if his fever became any higher during the day.

HP

Harry obediently set his alarm clock in order to wake up in time to check on Severus again; however, Severus spent the whole morning wailing and moaning, keeping them both awake.

"You're feeling absolutely miserable today, aren't you, sweetie?" Harry cooed, cuddling the child close. "Is Dagy sick as well?"

Severus threw Harry a questioning glance, before he carefully laid a small hand on the dragon's forehead. "Yes, he feew febish," he announced, showing the dragon to Harry.

"Hmm, let's see then," Harry said thoughtfully, glancing at his alarm clock. "It's time to take your temperature again, too, so let's take Dagy with us to the changing table, so we can check on him as well, won't we?"

"Onwy Dagy, not me," Severus replied firmly, making every effort to wriggle himself out of Harry's grip as soon as the boy placed him on the changing table.

"No Severus, please comply for once. I'm not feeling well either," Harry said impatiently, closing his eyes for a second to fight the dizziness while he opened Severus' nappy. '_Oh right, Dagy_,' he remembered and quickly conjured a toy thermometer, which he handed the child. "Here, can you take Dagy's temperature, please?"

Apparently sensing that he was unwell too, Severus for once lay quietly, busying himself trying to stick the toy thermometer somewhere into his dragon, not minding the fact that the only place with a small opening was his bellybutton.

'_Thank God_,' Harry mused as he proceeded to take the child's temperature. '_Maybe I should ask Asclepius to call Madam Pomfrey and ask her to take us to the hospital wing_,' he pondered, carefully holding the thermometer in its place, when a cool and wet sensation on his hot arm brought him out of his thoughts. '_Oh cool; apparently the shock of sensing the cold thermometer caused this reaction_,' he mused as he took a small towel from the shelf to dry himself. "You're still running a fever, sweetie," he told the boy and quickly dressed him, before he took him back to bed.

Harry made the child take two spoonfuls of the potion and handed him another juice turned nutrient potion, before he took his own potions, not bothering to check his temperature, knowing that it hadn't come down at all.

"Dagy feba too," Severus whispered, looking expectantly at Harry once the older boy settled back into bed.

"Oh right," Harry replied tiredly, before he called Dobby, explaining that they needed a bowl of jelly bears for Severus' sick dragon.

Dobby chuckled and popped away, handing Severus the bowl an instant later. "No, they won't go through his bellybutton; you'll need to eat them for him," Harry croaked, watching in amusement as Severus slowly popped a sweet into his mouth, cuddling his dragon close.

Harry spent the next four hours in a half-awake state, watching Severus, who was obviously feeling better but not well enough to switch to his older self's mind, play with his dragon. He was just pondering for the umptiest time that day if it would be better for both of them to move to the hospital wing, when he heard two voices approaching the bedroom.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your many kind comments!_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	7. Chapter 7

**Tricky ****Transformation**** – Chapter 7**

An instant later, Madam Pomfrey entered the room, closely followed by Professor McGonagall. Harry sighed in relief at the sight of his Head of House.

"Hello Harry, Severus," McGonagall said, smiling at the sight of Severus, who had finally fallen asleep, nestled deep into Harry's pyjamas with his dragon under one arm and a thumb in his mouth. "Oh, he is adorable," she said softly.

"He has been running a fever today," Harry informed Madam Pomfrey, who pointed her wand at the child's head and nodded.

"It's down to a slight temperature now," she said calmingly, before she turned to the Gryffindor Head. "I offered to take them with me to the hospital wing several times, but they both refused. However, Mr. Potter's condition hasn't improved at all, and Severus will have to stay in his toddler form for at least two more days. Only when his hip is fully healed, you can change him back into his adult form."

Seeing that Severus stirred, McGonagall gently addressed her small colleague. "Severus, will you let me look after you until I can transform you back? Mr. Potter is very ill and should stay with Poppy."

"No, tay wif Hawwy!" Severus said indignantly, nestling deeper into Harry's side, causing Harry to throw Pomfrey a helpless look.

"I don't mind looking after him at all, but today I've been so dizzy and everything is blurry. I was lucky because he was sick and in bed the whole day, and Asclepius brought me a nutrient potion for him, but if I had to get up and make him eat breakfast and lunch, I'd have a problem," Harry explained softly, gently cuddling the child.

"I'm going to stay with you," Pomfrey promised, causing McGonagall to shake her head.

"No Poppy, you'll go back home and go ahead with your plans. You've wanted to do that for many years. It's all right. I'll stay here with Harry and Severus, at least until I can transform Severus back."

The adults agreed on McGonagall's plan, and the Gryffindor Head of House made herself comfortable in Severus' guest room to look after her de-aged colleague and her student.

HP

Harry woke up to Severus' crying. He tiredly opened his eyes, realising that the white fog that had been engulfing him since the previous day still lingered. "What's wrong, sweetie?" he asked as a well-known smell penetrated his senses. "Ah, all right, come here to me," he coaxed the child into his arms and slowly stood up, noticing in surprise that firm hands grabbed his arms, gently helping him through the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm him.

Recognizing the blurry figure of his Head of House, Harry croaked a tired, "Thank you," as he placed Severus on the changing table and motioned the teacher to stand behind Severus' head to prevent the child from becoming embarrassed in case his older self's mind took over.

Ten minutes later, the teacher helped him back to bed, gently carrying the toddler for him. "Severus, what would you like to eat for breakfast?" McGonagall asked the boy as she eased the thermometer under Harry's tongue, nearly making him gag in surprise.

"Whatevew," Severus replied gruffily, causing Harry to chuckle as he realised that the teacher's mind was back to his usual adult self.

"Don't do that," McGonagall lightly scolded him as she quickly pulled the thermometer out and made Harry sit up to help him through his coughing fit. "Are you ready now? Can we try again?" she asked, when he lay back in exhaustion.

"Yes, sorry," Harry mumbled and closed his eyes, gratefully listening to the teacher's conversation with the toddler and her attempts to make him eat some breakfast. He blurrily registered that the icy thing was removed from his mouth and felt strong hands bring him in a slightly sitting position, swallowing automatically as something was pressed against his lips.

"What would you like to eat, Harry?" he heard Minerva's voice through the fog around his ears.

"Nothing," Harry mumbled tiredly, pressing his lips firmly against each other.

'Go to sleep and try to get better, so we don't need annoying Gryffindor witches fuss over us,' Severus' voice penetrated his mind as he drifted off to sleep, faintly registering gentle hands bathing his hot face with something cool.

HP

A few hours later, Harry woke up by Severus' angry shouting, "No! Hawwy!"

"Severus, you're very rude," he heard his Head of House complain, "stop kicking immediately. Your nappy has to be changed, and you need a bath."

"Wait a moment," Harry croaked. Even without opening his eyes, he could imagine the scene only too well. He slowly scrambled out of bed and dragged himself to the changing table, where McGonagall was trying to undress the toddler. "It's all right; I'll do it," he mumbled, tightly holding on to the changing table.

"Master Severus' bath is ready," Dobby announced, popping up behind them.

"Well, then we need to get Master Severus ready as well, don't we?" Harry cooed, tickling the toddler's small toes to make him giggle and relax, before he quickly took off his clothes and nappy, wondering if the child would allow Minerva to bathe him for a change. '_No, of course not_,' he soon realised and proceeded to deal with the matter himself.

Only when Severus was fully dressed again and his brain had switched back to his older self's mind, he grudgingly allowed his colleague to pick him up and feed him his dinner, while Harry went back to bed. During the next two days, McGonagall did her best to entertain Severus and look after Harry, who remained very ill. Harry only had to change, bathe and dress the toddler.

Once, Harry woke up hearing the two colleagues having a verbal fight. "Severus, go back to bed. Until Poppy allows you to get up, you need to stay put," McGonagall said sternly.

"No, I'm fine. I wan sheck Hawwy," the toddler replied firmly, sticking the thermometer into Harry's half-open mouth, causing Harry to open his eyes in shock at the cold touch. "Cwose," the child instructed him, and Harry obediently closed his lips around the icy glass that made a shiver run down his body.

'Can you please tell your annoying Head of House that I'm fine and want to be back to my adult form,' Severus addressed Harry as he tried to arrange the cold cloth to Harry's forehead, failing miserably.

Harry gave the child a small nod, moving the cloth from his nose in order to be able to breathe.

"Sowwy," Severus apologized, causing Harry to smile and lightly shake his head. As soon as the thermometer beeped, Severus snatched it out and frowned as he handed it to Minerva.

"Severus told me he deems himself well enough to be transformed back into his adult form," Harry informed the teacher, who was watching him in concern.

"I'm going to call Madam Pomfrey for you anyway," the professor replied sternly and strode to the fireplace in the living room.

'Tell Pomfrey I need to brew a different and stronger potion for you, so she has to allow McGonagall to change me back,' Severus' voice filled Harry's foggy mind as Pomfrey bustled into the room and began to wave her wand over him.

Harry quickly relayed Severus' message, causing the Mediwitch to sit on the edge of the bed, throwing the child a concerned look. "Are you sure, Severus? Well, lie down and let me check on you anyway."

A few minutes and several diagnostic spells later, she turned to Minerva. "You may transform him back, Minnie."

"I'll go out of your way," Harry said quickly, scrambling out of the bed. '_Who knows what older Snape will say finding me here?_' he mused as he held on to the night table, gratefully muttering, "Thank you," as Madam Pomfrey helped him to a chair.

McGonagall waved her wand at the child, who transformed into his usual self in the blink of an eye. "Thank you, Minerva," he said in his soft, silky voice, before he stood from the bed, reaching for his wand. "Lie down, Potter. I'm going to brew a stronger potion for you," he turned to Harry, who was shivering violently.

"Please do that, Severus. He needs something stronger. In the meanwhile, I'm going to take Mr. Potter with me to the hospital wing," Madam Pomfrey announced, just when the door opened, revealing the Headmaster.

"I heard I was missing a party," Dumbledore spoke up, glancing around. "I will, however, take Mr. Potter back to the Dursleys. If you would pack a small bag with the potions he needs, Poppy."

"Headmaster, Mr. Potter is ill and needs to be looked after," Pomfrey replied firmly, causing Harry to throw the Mediwitch a grateful look.

"Ah, but I'm sure his aunt will be well able to look after him," Dumbledore replied. I'll prepare a Portkey and be back in five minutes."

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tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your many kind comments!_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	8. Chapter 8

**Tricky ****Transformation**** – Chapter 8**

"Albus, I won't allow Mr. Potter to return to his relatives," Severus spoke up firmly, right in time to make the Headmaster stop in the doorframe. "Last summer, the Dark Lord received Potter's blood, a matter that renders the blood wards around the Dursleys' house inefficient. Moreover, I witnessed that he has been neglected and abused by his so-called family. If you need proof, I can put my memories into your Pensieve. You can't send the boy back there. Allow him to remain at Hogwarts for the rest of the holidays."

"He can only stay at Hogwarts, if someone is willing to become his guardian," Dumbledore replied, smirking at his most trusted professors.

"Of course I'd be willing to become his guardian," McGonagall replied immediately, "although I won't be of much help, considering how ill he is."

Severus sighed as his view fell on Dagy that was lying on the bed with a small towel draped over its forehead. He let his eyes wander, glancing over at the changing table with the quietly quacking ducks, and the edges of his mouth pulled slightly upwards as he banished the furniture with a flick of his wand.

"I shall take him in," Severus said firmly.

"Well, I believe that Severus is a good choice, especially as Severus and Harry already spent a few weeks together and became used to each other's company," Madam Pomfrey threw in, causing the Headmaster to nod in surprise and understanding.

"Very well then, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore turned to Harry, "Would it be acceptable for you, if Professor Snape became your guardian?"

"I'd be very happy," Harry replied tiredly but inwardly screaming with joy. '_Never back to the Dursleys_,' he thought merrily, throwing his new guardian a grateful look as he gently helped him back to bed.

"Harry, I'll ask the house-elves to make a room for you. In the meantime, I'll go and brew the potion for you. Call Dobby and ask him to fetch me if you need me." With that he carefully arranged the cool cloth on Harry's forehead, muttering something like, "shouldn't be so difficult," before he crossed the room, complimenting his three colleagues out.

HP

Harry fell asleep within seconds, feeling extremely relieved to be rid of the responsibility of caring for a toddler in spite of being so sick. His foggy mind turned back to awareness as he sensed an ice-cold touch on his forehead. Harry blinked, only to jerk back badly as he realised the professor was towering over him, gently feeling the warmth of his face and around his neck.

"Easy Harry," the professor said softly and proceeded to take his temperature. "I just wanted to check on you and give you the potions I just brewed for you. I hope they're going to be more efficient than the normal ones."

'_I hope so_,' Harry thought as he drifted back to sleep in spite of the annoying cold stick in his mouth.

"No Harry, stay awake for your potions please," the Potions Master's soft voice pulled him back to awareness, and he felt the thermometer being removed and a phial being pressed against his lips. "This will probably make you sleepy, but that's all right. Just try to rest and get better. I'll take care of you," the professor's words penetrated Harry's foggy mind as a blessing Healing sleep overcame him.

Harry slept through the following days. From time to time, he stirred, noticing a cold touch when the teacher took his temperature under his armpit in order not to wake him up. At other times, he felt a liquid being poured into his mouth, causing him to swallow automatically.

A few days later, Severus woke him up. "I finally managed to get your fever down a bit, and I believe it's time for you to take a shower and to eat something."

"Okay," Harry agreed, noticing that he felt much better and not so feverish and dizzy anymore. He took a long shower and changed into fresh pyjamas, before he returned to bed, lying down in exhaustion, just when the professor entered the room.

"If you feel well enough to stay up for another minute, I'll show you to your own room, which the house-elves have made for you," Severus said softly, raising an eyebrow.

'_Oh right, this is his bed_,' Harry remembered, shocked at the sudden realisation. "Oh, I'm sorry, Professor, for occupying your bed," he apologized quickly.

"That's all right, Harry, don't worry, and you don't have to call me Professor. You may still call me Severus, if we're here at home. I officially gained the guardianship over you, so this is your home now as well." With that Severus helped Harry out of the bed and steadied him as he led him into his new room.

Harry looked around in amazement. '_My first own room_,' he mused as he let himself sink on the most comfortable bed.

"If you don't like the colours, we can change them," Severus spoke up, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, thank you. I love these different shades of blue and green. It's fantastic," Harry replied gratefully. "I've never had my own room, and with such a comfortable bed and a desk, a wardrobe and a bookshelf just for myself..." He slowly trailed off in amazement.

"I'm glad you like it, Harry," Severus replied, tapping the charmed window with his wand to darken the room a little.

"Thank you," Harry said appreciatively, only now realising that the bright light had been hurting his eyes.

HP

It took Severus another week to nurse Harry back to health, and even then he was still very weak. One morning, Harry woke up seeing his two best friends sitting on the side of his bed. "Ron, Hermione," he mumbled in surprise, hurrying to bring himself into a sitting position.

"It's all right, Harry, slowly," Hermione said gently, "the Professor told us you've been ill for more than a month."

"Happy Birthday, mate," Ron interrupted her, grinning at Harry's dim-witted expression.

"Birthday?" he queried in surprise. "Have I been ill for so long? I thought it was still the beginning of July."

"Are you all right, mate, err... I mean with Snape as your guardian and such?"

"Yes, I can't complain. We get along well, and he is really nice. He behaves like the father I never had," Harry replied absentmindedly, still not getting over the fact that he hadn't noticed so many weeks of holidays pass.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Hermione asked, gently placing a cool hand on his forehead. "Professor Snape said if you feel well enough, you may get up and have breakfast with us in his kitchen. You still feel a bit warm though."

"I'm fine," Harry replied, smiling, and scrambled out of bed to lead his friends into the small kitchen, where a huge birthday cake in the form of a dragon was waiting for them.

The three friends spent several hours eating cake and talking, before Hermione noticed that Harry was getting exhausted and made him return to bed.

"I'm sorry for lying around here and being so lazy," Harry apologized to Severus, when his guardian entered the room, alerted by Hermione that she and Ron were going home and had sent Harry back to bed.

"You're not lazy. You're sick. That's a difference," Severus said softly as he took Harry's temperature to check which potion the boy needed. "During the next month, you'll take it easy. I know you still have to do your homework, and I wish to teach you Potions; however, your health has the first priority, and we're going to arrange your schedule according to your condition. Now go to sleep and let's try to get that temperature down, so you'll be well enough tonight for a second birthday party together with my colleagues."

"All right," Harry said, chuckling as Severus gently laid Dagy into his arms. Cuddling the toy dragon close, he shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep with a contented smile playing on his lips.

**The End**

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Thank you for your kind support throughout this story!_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


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